Throughout the ages, man has been fascinated by the quest for hidden knowledge, the search for the secret to transforming the elemental into the extraordinary, the simple into the sublime. Ladies and gentlemen, we present for your consideration this exotic, inky concoction, the almost magical creation of our modern day alchemists who have turned humble grains—barley, wheat, rye, and oats—into black, liquid gold. Layers of complex flavors slowly emerge from the glass: espresso, roasted fig, crème brulée. Belgian yeast provides a plum-like fruitiness, noble German hops reveal spicy, herbal notes, while the rich, velvety mouthfeel mellows to a dry, smoky finish.

Reviews by sevopie:

Dark, heavy black with a thick brown head. I've had 3 (12 oz.) bottles of this now, and all of them have poured a massive head that stays throughout the entire beer with enormous amounts of lacing.

The smell on this reminds me of candied fruits, raisins being predominant. There's also a hint of coffee/chocolate, but the sweet candy takes over the nose.

There's a lot of complexity on this one, with bittersweet cocoa, espresso, dark fruit, and smoky oak all taking turns hitting the palate. The lingering flavor is definitely the smoky oak, but it doesn't overpower past the first sip.

Silky smooth creaminess that's possibly due to the massive head that's retained throughout every one of these I've had. Just viscous enough to remind you its a stout, creamy enough to accentuate the right flavors.

This beer only shows a hint of the almost 10% ABV, and the creaminess just leaves you wanting more after every sip. If you are a malty guy, this beer is close to heaven. I originally bought a single bottle of this because of the flashy artwork on the bottle, and because I knew Boulevard as a brewery with the potential for some outstanding brews (and a few flops.) After 3 of these bad boys, I'm completely sold - this has taken the crown from Ten Fidy as my favorite Imperial Stout, and its one I'll be buying for as long as I can find it. (1,347 characters)

Different than a regular imperial stout. It's more like a "Black Quad" or a Belgian Stout or a regular Imperial Russian or American Stout that has been spiked with a little bit of prune juice and red wine. Still, a nice, unique offering; but if you're looking for your strong dark chocolate and coffee notes--typical to stouts--you're probably better off looking elsewhere. (375 characters)

Let this one warm up for a minute. Nice notes of creamy plum and chocolate in the nose, and a great bitter-charred chocolate taste with some nice plum. A really nice beer--I agree with whichever other reviewer said (in so many words) that this was like the beautiful lovechild of a stout and a Belgian quad. (307 characters)

Picked this up a few weeks back at Top Hops in New York, having never had this before. All of the beers that I've had from Boulevard have impressed me and this was no exception to that adage, as the complexity of it really came out once this warmed up. A few on here have mentioned that this was the marriage of a Stout and a Quad and that would be a perfect way to sum this up. The body and booze of the former were present along with the yeast and fruit notes of the latter and combined with the recessed alcohol, made for a beer that was worth savoring from start to finish.

Nice pour to this as the beer had a dark chocolate hue, amazingly frothy head, and nice web of lacing to it as I took my first sips. Not a strong aroma here but there was lots of currant and plum and some booze that cut through those. The barley and oats come out in the taste as the body really balanced out the strength of this beer quite nicely while the alcohol slowly came in after each sip went down. Dark bread and baker's chocolate round out the flavor profile while the lively carbonation was just an extent of the yeast that was underneath all of this, giving this beer a nice pop.

While not feeling as strong as I thought, this is not something to chug down as it took quite a while to sit back and enjoy. Creamy, lively, and deep, this was unlike any Stout that I've ever had, let alone a Double or an Imperial. Slightly roasted like a Coffee Stout and with some spice like a foreign tea, there's so much going on here that this should be in a new category since it seems to be a hybrid of a few other styles. Another winner fro Boulevard that I enjoyed immensely even if I didn't quite pinpoint it. A must-try for any dark beer lover! (1,727 characters)

Pours jet black with a creamy one finger beige head that left a broken sheet of lace as it settled very slowly.Aromas are a mix of plum and raisin along with chocolate and some nuttiness.Flavors are roasted with alot of fruity tones,the raisin flavors are really magnified with a hint of char in the finish,the alcohol comes into play more as it warms.This is one of the fruitier impy stouts I have come across,it's not a big roasted dry earthy bomb,a nice change of pace for an American version of the style in my opinion. (523 characters)

I've been waiting a few weeks to try this one. Took it out of the fridge probably thirty minutes prior to opening, poured into a NB snifter.

Opens with a Champagne-like pop to find an opaque, nearly black beer with a huge, frothy, brown head that won't quit, and leaves some nice lacing.

The aroma has a yeasty vibe but doesn't have any typical yeasty notes. It opens up with wood smoke, coffee, spruce, and maybe some dark, wild berry fruit.

The taste has nice roasty, smoky coffee/cigar box, and chocolaty notes that integrate nicely and linger well into the aftertaste. Rich with a very dry finish that could be packing some hop bitterness, and the creamy body beckons you to drink more. Ample carbonation, kind of belchy, but not distracting. The alcohol is sneaky, as it's not very noticeable in any aspect. This falls under the Imperial Belgian Stout category for me, with an American twist, as I would expect

Holds it own quite well, could probably use a fat sirloin steak and potatoes to really treat you right. Sign me up as a fan. (1,044 characters)

Very heady, dark and inviting. Ripe plum and faint phenols show the Belgian yeast off in the nose, even through the dark malt aromas. Insanely smooth and creamy, lush, full body. A bit of clean alcohol, tart plum, burnt sugar, taffy, grilled bread and a faint herbal hop are the more forward flavors in this complex brew. On the sweeter side, but there is a whole lot of char activity to keep things exciting from sip to sip. Too drinkable for the strength; an amazing beer. (532 characters)

A - Pours pitch black with two and a half fingers of creamy tan head. Still one finger of head more than five minutes after pouring. Outstanding retention. Also leaves some nice lacing.

S - Dark chocolate, lots of roasted malt, and a bit of char. Also quite a prominent fruit presence (fig, raisin and a faint tartness) and a bit of anise. Has many of the aroma components found in other stouts, but I have never smelled anything quite like this, which is mostly a compliment. Maybe a bit too much char.

T - Similar to smell, though there is more of a sweet milk chocolate component to the taste than the smell. Every sip finishes very roasty with a touch of char.

O - A very nice stout. I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy this based on the smell, which had nice components, but seemed slightly off somehow. But the taste came together well, and having a bit of sweet chocolate, which I am normally not a big fan of, helped to counteract the heavy roasted character. I would have this again, but wouldn't stock up on it. (1,135 characters)

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 12 oz bottle into a tulip glass. 9.7 abv best buy date (07/07/16) description Appearance: Dark brown slow thick pour jet black in the glass. No light can be seen thought it. Tall Dark tan head long lasting with very good lacing. Smell: deep heavy notes of roast malt fresh bread and light hints of dark fruit raisins and peels. Taste/Palate: This one is big and bold and coats the tongue with wonderful dark fruits bid dark malty sweetness and espresso bitterness in the finish. Abv is well hidden. (539 characters)